We Are The Hunted [Demetri Volturi]

Chapter 31

Demetri couldn't understand how he ended up back in Volterra. Not when his last memory was fighting off a coven full of newborns. Something powerful attacked him and was unaware of what occurred after that. Kahlen's panic-stricken face suddenly came to mind and it made his gut clench. It was the first time he'd seen such an emotion from her... and he didn't enjoy it. Sitting up turned into a struggle, seeing as how his injured arm and shoulder were wrapped against the chest. So the limb remained constantly pressed together in order for the crack to heal. Someone removed the outer jacket, the white button up shirt underneath having been unbuttoned halfway exposing his pale chest slightly. The tracker also felt something wrong with the neck and lower side of the jaw, flexing the bone before touching the area. The crack in place felt rough as the skin pulled itself together. He was aching for the first time in a long while.

"You're awake." The voice came from the doorway of the infirmary wing, spotting Felix. "If you feel up to it, Aro has requested us to join him in the throne room."

Pulling himself from the bed the two made their way down the halls in silence. Along the way the tracker realized he couldn't find her.

"Where's Kahlen?" Demetri questioned.

"I couldn't answer you even if I wanted to."

Demetri became alarmed by the statement, yet didn't show it. "What do you mean?"

"When you nearly had your arm and neck severed off I rushed you out of there with Alec as back up. Jane and Kahlen remained behind. They have yet to return."

The brothers sat on the throne muttering quietly to themselves while Alec stood off to the side quietly. Heidi was present, surprisingly, along with Chelsea and Afton. The two of them hadn't been seen for months, being stationed in Russia to follow a lead.

"Demetri," Aro spoke up. "It is good to see you walking once more."

"How many days has it been?" the vampire asked.

"Felix and Alec returned with you two days ago."

Two days? What on earth was taking Jane and Kahlen so long to return? A part of him actually wondered if the two ended up killing each other due to their constant tension in one another's presence. That would have been an amusing thought if not for the way the witch twin shifted off to the side. He grew worried as well, but would never voice it. No matter how much he wished to go out and search.

"What news from Russia?" Caius questioned.

Chelsea and Afton bowed slightly in acknowledgement and greeting. "The covens are moving," Afton stated.

"Where?"

"To the western border."

"Must be a harsh winter approaching..."

"That's the thing," Chelsea spoke up. "It has nothing to do with their lack of supply." This information grabbed their attention.

"What is causing them to migrate?" Marcus asked.

"We're not sure, but this isn't a few covens. It's nearly half, along with nomads. Some have crossed the border."

"And what became of them?" Caius questioned.

"We could not investigate." That earned them a glare. "Not without abandoning our post. But something is coaxing them away from their home."

Aro rubbed his chin in thought. He hadn't heard of these developments from his spies throughout Europe. How were such a large number of vampires slipping under his radar? At least none were causing havoc with bloodshed. But then the brothers wondered if the Russian Covens were the only ones behaving strangely.